Saratoga Sampler

Twenty hours of light per day greet Saratogans in Norway

By Mary Ann Cook

NORWAY & NORTH: Here's more on Dorothy and John Terrill's trip to Norway this summer. Dorothy reports it was never dark in the northern part of Norway, i.e., around the Arctic Circle, and even in Lesje, a two-day drive south of the Arctic Circle. That's where her grandmother came from--Gubrandsdalen.

Her cousin and his wife have a cabin there on a part of the farm. The 20-plus hours of light every day gave them long touring days--3,000 miles in 16 days. One emphasis was checking out little-known World War II historical sites. John is a retired U.S. Army officer, and Dorothy's cousin is a retired Norwegian Air Force officer, so World War II history loomed large.

In Rjukan the Norwegians had built a huge hydroelectric plant in the 1920s. One byproduct of the plant was "heavy water." When the Nazis occupied Norway in 1940 and took over the plant, they used heavy water to help produce an atomic bomb.

The Heroes of Telemark with Kirk Douglas, made in the '60s, dramatized the Norwegian resistance movement, including how the resisters sabotaged the plant. The plant is now a museum. Approaching Bergen, the travelers drove through 39 tunnels in the space of an hour and a half.

Fjords were ever-present, crossed mainly by ferry, but sometimes by a bridge or even a chunnel. Almost every place held a breathtaking view--waterfalls, mountains, valleys, streams, rivers. As for the weather: most unpredictable. They encountered huge hailstones their last night in Norway.

About the weather, the locals say matter of factly, "This is Norway."

TWO AMIGOS: Two Saratogans were part of Amigos de las Americas and underwent a year of weekly training and spent four to six weeks in a Latin American country this summer. Julia Barmeier and Simcha Gold are the two Saratoga seniors who were part of the Amigos.

Barmeier was assigned to Costa Rica where she worked with the Peace Corps team, assessing the needs of the community. School renovation was the project chosen and Barmeier helped build a preschool playground, the first step in the renovation.

Gold served in the Dominican Republic, also identifying needs. She helped develop a mini library, organized youth groups and sports teams, assisted with a family garden and taught good health habits. Both students fundraised throughout the school year to help pay their expenses.

EXEMPLARY FIVE: Five of 20 women honored by Junior League for their services to the community are from Saratoga and Los Gatos. They are Lori Fox and Florence Barker of Saratoga and Ann Atkinson, Sharon Herald and Elaine Knoernschild of Los Gatos.

The Spa of Los Gatos hosted a reception for these exemplary women recently. The women were selected by the Junior Leagues of Palo Alto, San Jose and the mid-Peninsula and were defined as those making a mark. San Jose Magazine's September issue profiles the honored women.

Fox and Barker are primarily fundraisers par excellence. Fox is co-chair of the San Jose chapter of the American Heart Association and formerly chaired the Silicon Valley Charity Ball for four years. Barker's focus is the San Jose Symphony, as well as Valle Monte. She was one of the founders of that group's Christmas Tree Elegance.

Atkinson tutors at-risk students and is involved with San Jose Rep and History San Jose. Herald tutors in the Elmwood Literacy Project and supervises the library at that correctional institution.

Knoernschild has been and is one of the chief bulwarks of San Jose Rep since its founding. One of the those who spearheaded the founding of Eastfield-Ming Quong, she's also active in Summit League and the Community Foundation of Silicon Valley.

WINE FUNDRAISER: The Bay Area Ballers Basketball Program will meet for wine tasting and hors d'oeuvres at a fundraising social Sept. 23 at the home of Diana and John Couch in Saratoga. The program is under the auspices of the Wender Weis Foundation for Children.

Proceeds from the event will help fund tutors for SAT preparation and other support for student athletes. Donations are $500 per couple, and Mike Montgomery, head basketball coach of Stanford, will be a special guest. Wines will be from the French Cellar of Los Gatos.

To no surprise: Cellar owner Jay Druian and Couch, CEO of Doubletwist, were high school friends 38 years ago when both attended the American High School in Chateau Roux, some 60 miles southwest of Orleans in France.

When Couch stepped into the French Cellar a few years back and both men mentioned the school, he did a double take and said, "Jay?"

LAST CHANCE: This is the last week to view the Smith College Collection exhibit at the Cantor Art Museum at Stanford University. The collection from Smith College is called from Courbet to Picasso. It is an amazing assortment amassed by a small college through the years, including a Rodin negotiated from the sculptor himself.

The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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